Shloka 51

Ahaṅkāra-Tripartition and the Rise of Indriyas, Devatās, and Cosmic Administrators

Devanagari script

यमभार्या श्यामला तु ह्यनिरुद्धप्रिया विराट् / ब्रह्माण्डमानिनी सैव ह्युषानाम्ना सुशब्दिता

Transliteration

yamabhāryā śyāmalā tu hyaniruddhapriyā virāṭ / brahmāṇḍamāninī saiva hyuṣānāmnā suśabditā

Translation

Yamas Gemahlin ist Śyāmalā; sie ist auch Aniruddha lieb und wird Virāṭ genannt. Sie, die sich des kosmischen Eies (des Universums) rühmt, ist wahrlich unter dem wohlklingenden Namen Uṣā berühmt.

Word by Word

• यमभार्या: Yama's wife
• यमभार्या: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम + भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (यमस्य भार्या)

• श्यामला: Shyamalā
• श्यामला: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्यामला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नाम (proper name)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात/विरोधार्थक (particle: 'but/indeed')

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात/हेतौ-बलार्थक (particle: 'indeed/for')

• अनिरुद्धप्रिया: beloved of Aniruddha
• अनिरुद्धप्रिया: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनिरुद्ध + प्रिया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अनिरुद्धस्य प्रिया)

• विराट्: Virāṭ (name)
• विराट्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विराट् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नाम (proper name)

• ब्रह्माण्डमानिनी: (she who is) proud of the universe/egg of Brahmā
• ब्रह्माण्डमानिनी: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्माण्ड + मानिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ब्रह्माण्डस्य मानिनी)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात/अवधारण (particle: 'only/indeed')

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• उषानाम्ना: by the name Uṣā
• उषानाम्ना: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उषा + नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; 'नाम्ना' = नामन्-शब्दस्य तृतीया एकवचन; सहार्थे/करणे: 'by the name'

• सुशब्दिता: well-called/named
• सुशब्दिता: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate adjective of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु- + शब्दित (कृदन्त; √शब्द् धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle) 'well-named/called'

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Names and relations point to cosmic principles; Virāṭ/Brahmāṇḍa imagery invites contemplation of the universe as an ordered whole.

Vedantic Theme: Virāṭ as a contemplative support (ālambana) for understanding Brahman’s manifestation; nāma-rūpa as pedagogical pointers.

Application: Use cosmic-form contemplation to reduce egoic narrowness; reflect on interdependence and the transience of roles/identities.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: cosmic-region

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: cosmology passages describing brahmāṇḍa structure and devatā orders; Garuda Purana: later ethical/afterlife sections where Yama appears as dharma-rāja (contextual link, not this verse’s focus)

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Shyamala
• Aniruddha
• Virat
• Brahmanda
• Usha

FAQs

What is the importance of naming Yama’s consort in the Garuda Purana?

It situates Yama’s realm within a broader sacred genealogy, linking the afterlife administration to cosmic and devotional theology through recognized divine epithets.

How does this verse connect Yama’s domain with cosmic principles?

By calling her “Brahmāṇḍa-māninī” and “Virāṭ,” the verse frames figures associated with Yama not merely as local deities of punishment, but as connected to the universe-form and cosmic order.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Remembering that death-ritual contexts in the Garuda Purana are embedded in cosmic dharma encourages reverence, ethical living, and sincerity in rites such as śrāddha and offerings for ancestors.